If Thomas were to come back with this model again ! It would be a great 👍 bus a Top seller "Kiss" Keeping it simple Schoolbus..Our Schoolbus are in the Shop having downtime Due to all the extra Things going on the Fiz🎉 ..Enjoy your newest Bus we will enjoy with you 🇨🇦
I'm glad you made magnets that say not in service as opposed totally blanking out the lettering permanently or grinding it off the paint for driving it in public roads like a lot of people do with restored buses. A vintage school bus without the original period correct district lettering on it looks naked and strange - especially when it is a school that no longer exists except in a history book.
Hi Tommy... Just wanted to drop a line and say I grew up in Springfield, IL and know exactly where your 1988 came from. I now live in Florida (moved here in 2014), and just came across your video by chance. Imagine my surprise when I heard where you went to pick the bus up! I am fairly certain I have seen this bus driving around Springfield over the years as I remember the "retro" stop sign. Sure glad to see she went to someone who is going to take care of her. Looking forward to future videos on bus #2!
Nice! Bringing back high School memories I used to ride a bus just like that one except for low Mount wipers and auto with air brakes Wow 30 years I am old!!
When I was in high school, the bus I rode before I got my driver's license and started driving to school, was a 1971 Thomas on a Ford chassie. At that time, North Carolina school buses were governed at 35 miles an hour, because many bus drivers were high school students. They began phasing out the student bus drivers in 1985, and by 1987, it was an all adult staff. Since then, they have turned up the governors and they are now governed at 45. However, they should take the governor off, and let it go whatever the speed limit is. When I was in fourth grade, if our regulars bus, which was a 1973 Thomas on a Dodge chassie had to go in the shop, the spare bus they gave us was an antiquated bus. It was a 1957 Blue Bird on a Chevy chassie. The doors, instead of both doors opening out, only the forward door opened out, while the aft door went back into the stairwell. It also had the old fashioned vacuum windshield wipers, that operated just like the stop arm on your 1988 bus. I remembered that only the one on the port side worked properly. The one on the starboard side was practically kaput. I knew that the engine was burning oil because when it pulled away, you could see blue smoke coming out of the tailpipe. I also remember that the engine, though it was a Chevy, it sounded a lot like that of an old Volkswagen Beetle. It was probably a straight six. The tranny, which was a stick shift, made an R-sound in first and second gear that was like "nails on the chalkboard", and under load, going uphill, it would jump out of gear. I suspect that the R-sound was a "death whine". I've known people to stuff a tranny with sawdust to quieten this. Also the speedometer didn't work, and probably, neither did the odometer. Also, at that time, I fantasized about buying a retired UPS delivery truck, and making it into a school bus. I think those vehicles are made by Fisherbody, and fantasize about them making school buses that closely resemble the UPS trucks in terms of their shape, except longer, yellow instead of brown, with windows and seats, loading lights, and the stop arm.
I drove a new 1985 Chevy bus like this one except it didn't have the two speed rear end and it was a Blue Bird body. Best bus ever. Because of this bus, you have a new subscriber! lol
It's nice to see someone interested in school buses and preserving them in original condition, which is almost impossible to find. I've been interested in school buses since I was about 12 years old. At that time I road a 57 International A160, I believe was the model. It had a Ward body, 56 passenger. That was the 62-63 school year. For 63-64 I roade a 56 International with a Thomas body, also a 56 passenger. I'm not sure what model it was. They had 6 cylinder engines, 5-speed non-synchromesh transmissions, manual everything, steering, turn signals, etc. They had 8 ways, but no crossing arm or stop sign. It's nice this bus has a 2-speed rear. I'm surprised it's not a 5-speed transmission, but great bus and so hard to find unmolested.
Very cool. I drove an S-1700 Thomas that had the Illinois specs like that one has: EW/Capacity on the side, the lettering above the windshield inside, and there was a "CLUSTER" switch that turned on just the three marker lights above the windshield independently from the rest of the marker lights. Unfortunately, it had a 7.3IDI and ran hot on the highway. Also, I see they put the wrong lens on the right turn signal in the back... :(
To clarify the previous comment, it was the C 65 body that was replaced by the current C2 body. The C60 Chevrolet / GMC chassis was phased out in 1991 and replaced with the international 3600 chassis designed for the Vista body for the 1992 model year. Although in the North Carolina school systems, they bought both the Vista body 3600 and the conventional C 65 Bodied International 3600, depending on the individual counties. Oddly enough though, there were some Vista bodies out there in the more rural outlying counties with Chevrolet chassis, 8.2 L diesel, and MT 643 4 speed automatic. They were generically bodied with the steel boxed-in hood with Thomas across the grill.
I'ts actually a C-60 Chassis bolted to a C-65 body. It was replaced in 2004 by the current C-2 body with Freightliner M-2 (Business Class) chassis. The C-65 body was in production since 1965. From 1965-68 the rear was rounded and had a narrow windshield. The rear was "squared" in 1969 per your '88 model. The front of the cab was raised and a larger windshield, and longer doors installed in 1972. in 1973 Thomas introduced was the "raised roof" for the C-65 body. It was about 3 inches higher and had larger side windows and an interior roof rack. Most of those were activity buses but some were equipped as standard school buses depending on state spec. Then the raised roof became standard in 2002 before being discontinued altogether by the current C-2 in 2004. When Daimler-Chrysler acquired Thomas and Freightliner (not exactly a match made in heaven) they naturally pushed out Ford, Chevy/GMC and International as chassis options. The FL-60/70 chassis was made the exclusive chassis for Thomas and the C-2 body and was built to mate exclusively to the M-2 Chassis. The Saf-T-Liner you refer to replaced the rear engine (pusher) flat cab, steel front cap, MVP. Of which was nothing more than the same MVP, but now had a fiberglass front cap with larger, lower and curved windshield, borrowing headlights and turn signals from the Freightliner Century Series road tractors, with "dog ear" power mirrors and lower stepwell. The old C-65 (they just don't call it that) still continues as the rear engine Saf-T-Liner, Forward Control (same as MVP but front engined,) and the cutaway minibuses. Yes, I'm a former school bus driver and I've watched all the changes. Sad that NCDPI defected to BlueBird. But Thomas Built priced themselves our of the market.
first off the C60 was not replaced by the C2 thats way after the fact you skipped Thomas B800s, 3800s, and FS65s the Thomas C2 replaced the FS56 not C60
@@nyke521 The C-60 chassis was discontinued in 1991 and replaced by the C-6500 chassis in 1992 and became the exclusive chassis for Bluebird, until Bluebird developed their own chassis and thus taking Chevy out of the bus market. I was referring to the bus body, not the chassis. Yes, there were multiple chassis changes before the C-65 Thomas body was phased out, including the Vista body, which I found especially heinous. It was awkward and uncomfortable to drive, like they just shoved the driver up in the corner, and mechanics hated to work on them.
@@nyke521 by the way, I own three of those Chevys. 1988 60 passenger, Detroit Diesel 8.2 , MT- 643 4 speed automatic, 1989 with identical specs, and the last one in 1991, identical spec. before they went to International 3600 Vista.
I don't remember the year model but when I was 13-14 the bus I rode to 8th grade was a Thomas. Don't know the year of the bus itself but it was 93-94. Lewisville ISD in Lewisville, Tx I remember the Thomas busses being nicer than the Blue Bird busses that the school district had at the time. (they were probably older with a lot more wear) What a time capsule you have there. I love it! Edit. Somethings i remember about the bus is that it had two pop up emergency hatches on the roof that could be popped up for air ventilation. And it had tilt out emergency windows on the side, I think 2 per side, if i remember right that had latches on the bottom of the frames. Anybody know which model that would be based on my childhood memory? lol. That was over 25 years ago.
Hi. As a blind person I can't comment on any of the visuals, so I am curious why you haven't done a video with this bus, like you did with the 1984 Thomas bus, including shifting? Do you still have this bus and will you do anymore driving videos with it? For example: a Saturday afternoon drive? The reason I am asking is because, when I listened to the 2000 subscribers video, this was one of the buses and it sounds different to me, from the other Thomas bus, as it sounded like it has the firt gear whine, when moving forward. I don't know and that's why I asked if you still have the bus and plan to do any other driving videos with shifting. I was 15 in 1988 and growing up in Ontario Canada, I used to hear buses and trucks go by, with the big block engine with the first gear wine and after 1988, I began to hear less of that and I think it was in the mid 90s when they were all gone. Anyway, I'm just asking. Keep up the great work with all of the videos and I hope to work you on ham radio some day. 73 VA3WXA
I seem to recall that only school buses in Illinois had the "hexagon" stop arms by the 1980s. I don't even think Pennsylvania mandated stop arms at all until the mid-1980s or so.
The more school buses that you collect. Hopefully somebody will get the license to scale the school buses in design them for model train sets and some other uses.
My favorite school busses were International busses from the 1970s that had red seats and the doors where one went in and one went out.. I doubt if many have survived.
its mainly a conventional Thomas body in the mid 1990s dropped the GM, Ford and Navistar International chassis they used then since Thomas is owned by Dalmer Trucks formally Dalmer/Chrysler then. as they went to the Freightliner chassis the FS-65 at first. as this body has since been replaced by the robotically assembled Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2. The B60s chassis the engines the gas engines are either a 350 small block chevy, or 366 or 427 big block chevy engines. the diesel be an 8.2L detroit Diesel or a Catapillar 3116 diesel
Could you make another one where you don't talk at all, but SLOWLY show details of the bus? And so we can hear the various sounds (engine, doors, etc.). Thanks.
It was studied and because of the extra padding required of all school bus seats and backs it was determined that these provided sufficient cushion to protect the kids. Seat belts would be more dangerous. Imagine the bus is on fire or overturned in a lake and a bus load of 6 year olds are all seat belted in. The driver would have to go through all 53 seats and unbelt the kids that are belted in and confused as to how to get the belts off. Those extra minutes could be catastrophic.
Fun fact: For some reason Los Angles Unified School District installed engines that sounds like Navistar VT 365 engines in their (what I assume is manufactued in the 80's) Thomas/GMC B60 buses in their fleet as part of restoring them sort of.
RoRBus3196 the steering wheel isn't lined up properly, they probably didn't pay close attention after a steering repair... That is on my list to fix up!
Mine is as well, and 6th gear locked out (allison MD3060). I'm going to reprogram the ECU and I want the rev limiter off, it's set at 2550RPM. It's a VA bus though.
Just curious what engine is in that? I have a 1977 Bluebird C60. Mine has the 350 engine with the at540 in it. I guess im really just curious if those old engines are still ok to do 300plus mile trips. I need to get the bus to Canon City Colorado from my location so the altitude climb is my main concern. Given you seem to have several busses what are your suggestions.
The 350 (Chevy small block) is probably the most common engine in the world. Rugged and powerful, parts are everywhere or easily obtained. The engine will take you anywhere you want to go providing it is in good shape. Altitude won't hurt it although you'll notice declining power as the altitude decreases.
I remember when I was in school our driver got A brand new 1984 chevy bus like that one. The new bus odor made everyone sick and they took it out of service the next day. A month later they got it back and we hated it from the start it was hot A/F and so loud we couldn't hear ourselves. we were sooo happy when the driver wrecked ita week later and they put us in A handicap bus that had a/c. (I think he wrecked it on purpose) The next year the whole fleet of chevy's disappeared and we were all in bluebird transit buses. (all of which were handicap and had a/c)
